The PhRMA Foundation
The PhRMA Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that funds early-career biomedical scientists through competitive fellowships and grants across drug discovery, drug delivery, translational medicine, and value assessment research, supported by major pharmaceutical company donors.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1965
- HeadquartersWashington, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What The PhRMA Foundation does
The PhRMA Foundation is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1965 and headquartered in Washington, DC, that funds early-career scientists through competitive, peer-reviewed grants and fellowships. It operates in four research areas: Drug Discovery, Drug Delivery, Translational Medicine, and Value Assessment and Health Outcomes Research. Its core offerings are Predoctoral Fellowships ($30,000/year), Postdoctoral Fellowships ($60,000/year), and Faculty Starter Grants ($100,000/year), supplemented by special programs including the Frontier Award ($500,000 over three years), Challenge Awards partnered with scientific journals, and Digital Health Technologies Research Grants of up to $500,000. All applications are processed through the ProposalCentral platform, and award payments flow directly to the recipient's university for administration.
The Foundation's business model is a nonprofit philanthropy model: it raises donations from a consortium of major pharmaceutical companies (including Pfizer, Merck, Johnson & Johnson, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Novartis, Genentech, Sanofi, Eli Lilly, Takeda, Gilead, Daiichi Sankyo, Lundbeck, and UCB) and redistributes the funds to individual researchers and institutions. It does not sell products or services commercially. Governance is provided by Scientific Advisory Committees comprising industry and academic experts, which conduct rigorous proposal review.
Scale has grown materially recently: the Foundation awarded $2.5 million to 36 researchers in 2025, then expanded to $4.6 million supporting 65 early-career researchers in 2026, reflecting an approximately 84% year-over-year increase in disbursements. Since 2017, its Value Assessment and Health Outcomes Research program alone has supported 70 studies across multiple award mechanisms. The Foundation employs 1-10 staff, indicating a lean operating model.
The PhRMA Foundation firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The PhRMA Foundation
- Legal name
- PhRMA Foundation
- Website
- https://phrmafoundation.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1965
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- The PhRMA Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that funds early-career biomedical scientists through competitive fellowships and grants across drug discovery, drug delivery, translational medicine, and value assessment research, supported by major pharmaceutical company donors.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The PhRMA Foundation industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Research Grants and Fellowships
- NAICS
- Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Health & Medical Research Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAL)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Research & Science Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAI), Health Research Funding Agencies (Public/Quasi-Public) (HLAJALAB)
Keywords
Where The PhRMA Foundation is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Washington
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
The PhRMA Foundation business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Foundation Grant Funding: The PhRMA Foundation operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that receives support from pharmaceutical companies and distributes grants and fellowships to early-career researchers. Revenue comes from donations/support from pharmaceutical companies rather than commercial product sales.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Annual | Predoctoral Fellowships - $30,000/year for 12-24 months |
| Other | Annual | Postdoctoral Fellowships - $60,000/year for 12-24 months |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Faculty Starter Grants - $100,000 for one year |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Frontier Award - $500,000 over 3 years |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Digital Health Technologies Research Grants - Up to $500,000 |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Challenge Awards - $25,000 per award |
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels7 records
The PhRMA Foundation product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The PhRMA Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that awards competitive research fellowships and grants to early-career scientists at accredited U.S. universities. The Foundation funds research across four areas: Drug Discovery, Drug Delivery, Translational Medicine, and Value Assessment and Health Outcomes Research. Core offerings include Predoctoral Fellowships ($30,000/year), Postdoctoral Fellowships ($60,000/year), Faculty Starter Grants ($100,000/year), and special awards such as the Frontier Award in Value Assessment ($500,000 over three years) and Challenge Awards partnered with scientific journals.
Product overview
The PhRMA Foundation offers a portfolio of grant and fellowship programs to fund early-career researchers in four research areas: Drug Discovery, Drug Delivery, Translational Medicine, and Value Assessment and Health Outcomes Research. Core programs include Predoctoral Fellowships ($30,000/year), Postdoctoral Fellowships ($60,000/year), and Faculty Starter Grants ($100,000/year). Special funding opportunities include the Frontier Award in Value Assessment ($500,000 over 3 years), Challenge Awards (partnership competitions with scientific journals), and Digital Health Technologies Research Grants (up to $500,000). The Foundation does not offer a traditional software product but provides research funding programs accessible through an application process managed via ProposalCentral.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Predoctoral Fellowships Stipend support of $30,000 per year for 12, 18 or 24 months for full-time graduate students at accredited U.S. universities who have completed most pre-thesis requirements (at least two years of coursework) and are pursuing PhDs in biomedical research fields. Up to $1,000/year may be used for thesis research incidentals or conference travel.
- Postdoctoral Fellowships Stipend support of $60,000 per year for 12, 18 or 24 months for postdoctoral trainees with PhD, PharmD, MD or terminal research doctorates at U.S. universities who are seeking to develop and refine research skills. Funds may not be used for tuition, fringe benefits, or indirect costs.
- Faculty Starter Grants One-year project support of $100,000 for promising young scientists beginning independent research careers at the faculty level at PhD-granting accredited U.S. universities. Funds must be used to conduct proposed research and may not be used for salary support of the grantee or indirect costs.
- Frontier Award in Value Assessment Special funding of $500,000 over three years for empirical research applying published value assessment frameworks to determine the value of healthcare interventions with meaningful patient engagement. Includes quarterly payments, with up to 20% allowed for indirect institutional/fringe benefits. Partnering patient groups must receive some funding.
- Challenge Awards Competitive manuscript submission awards of $25,000 per award partnered with scientific journals, inviting trainees to address pressing topics in science. Winners receive the award and publication opportunities in partner journals such as the Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (JPET) and the Journal of Managed Care & Specialty Pharmacy (JMCP).
- Digital Health Technologies Research Grants Research grants focused on the use of digital health tools in underrepresented populations in clinical trials to advance FDA regulatory decision-making. Includes up to eight $25,000 planning grants and up to two $500,000 grants.
Quantifiable outcome
- Funded 36 researchers with $2.5M in 2025
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use The PhRMA Foundation
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
The PhRMA Foundation technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The PhRMA Foundation partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- William Padula, PhD - University of Southern CaliforniacoreFrontier Award recipient investigating applications of Generalized Risk-Adjusted Cost-Effectiveness (GRACE) for valuing cancer therapies. Partnering with CancerCare and The Breast Cancer Fundraiser patient support organizations.
- Surachat Ngorsuraches, PhD - Auburn UniversitycoreFrontier Award recipient assessing value of multiple sclerosis therapies using patient-centered multicriteria decision analysis. Partnering with Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
- American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET)corePartnership with ASPET for Challenge Award competitions. Four trainee first authors received $5,000 prizes from the PhRMA Foundation plus publication opportunities in the Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (JPET).
- Journal of Managed Care & Specialty Pharmacy (JMCP)corePartnership with JMCP for Challenge Award competition on Medicare drug price negotiations. Three winning submissions received $25,000 and were published in JMCP.
- Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI)minorReferenced as resource for patient engagement best practices in value assessment research. The PhRMA Foundation directs applicants to PCORI resources for guidance on meaningful patient involvement.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The PhRMA Foundation competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation: Foundation focused on health professions education and biomedical research training, funding early-career researchers and educators. Comparable mission of supporting biomedical research workforce development through grants and fellowships.
- Doris Duke Charitable Foundation: Major US philanthropic foundation that funds medical research and early-career investigators through competitive grant programs. Highly comparable grantmaking mission focused on biomedical research, with similar peer-review rigor and portfolio of fellowships and faculty-level awards.
- American Cancer Society: Large health-focused nonprofit that funds early-career cancer researchers through fellowship and grant programs targeting graduate students, postdocs, and junior faculty. Directly comparable in supporting PhD-level training and postdoctoral transitions in disease-relevant research.
- American Heart Association: Major health nonprofit that funds early-career cardiovascular researchers through predoctoral, postdoctoral, and faculty award programs. Directly comparable in offering a structured fellowship-and-grant pipeline for emerging biomedical scientists.
- Burroughs Wellcome Fund: Pharma-affiliated private foundation funding early-career biomedical scientists through competitive Career Awards and other grant programs. Operates a nearly identical model of industry-funded scientific grantmaking with a comparable focus on translational and quantitative biomedical research.
- The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust: Private foundation with major biomedical and health research funding programs including grants to early-career investigators. Comparable as a large private foundation funding biomedical research with competitive peer-review grantmaking.
Broad incumbents
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI): One of the largest biomedical research funders globally, supporting early-career scientists through HHMI Investigators and Freeman Hrabowski Scholars programs. Far larger endowment but directly comparable mission of investing in biomedical research talent across career stages.
- Simons Foundation: Major private foundation funding scientific research including biomedical and life sciences. Comparable in supporting early-career scientists through targeted fellowship and grant programs, though with broader coverage across the sciences.
- Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: One of the largest US health-focused philanthropic foundations, with significant funding for health outcomes research and health policy — directly overlapping with the PhRMA Foundation's Value Assessment and Health Outcomes Research program.
Emerging players
- Arnold Ventures: Large philanthropic funder with a substantial healthcare value and drug-pricing research portfolio that overlaps with the PhRMA Foundation's Value Assessment program. Comparable in funding empirical research on healthcare cost-effectiveness and drug pricing frameworks.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
The PhRMA Foundation social profiles
Digital presenceThe PhRMA Foundation financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The PhRMA Foundation leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
The PhRMA Foundation funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
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The PhRMA Foundation M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
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Frequently asked questions about The PhRMA Foundation
What does The PhRMA Foundation do?
The PhRMA Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that awards competitive research fellowships and grants to early-career scientists at accredited U.S. universities. The Foundation funds research across four areas: Drug Discovery, Drug Delivery, Translational Medicine, and Value Assessment and Health Outcomes Research. Core offerings include Predoctoral Fellowships ($30,000/year), Postdoctoral Fellowships ($60,000/year), Faculty Starter Grants ($100,000/year), and special awards such as the Frontier Award in Value Assessment ($500,000 over three years) and Challenge Awards partnered with scientific journals.
Is The PhRMA Foundation a public or private company?
The PhRMA Foundation is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was The PhRMA Foundation founded?
The PhRMA Foundation was founded in 1965. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is The PhRMA Foundation based?
The PhRMA Foundation is headquartered in Washington, United States, in the North America region.
How does The PhRMA Foundation make money?
One revenue line is on record: foundation Grant Funding.
Who are The PhRMA Foundation's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, Burroughs Wellcome Fund and The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust. Broad incumbents are Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), Simons Foundation and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Arnold Ventures is listed as an emerging player.
Does The PhRMA Foundation have an API?
No public API is recorded for The PhRMA Foundation.
What industry is The PhRMA Foundation in?
The PhRMA Foundation's product category is Research Grants and Fellowships. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAKAL, Health & Medical Research Grantmaking Foundations, with a secondary code of BPAGAKAI, Research & Science Grantmaking Foundations. Its NAICS code is 813211.